CUBAN TRANSITIONS

My dad is a huge fan of Anthony Bourdain and his show, “No Reservations”. When he had found out I was going to Cuba this semester, his first reaction was to recommend Bourdain’s episode in Cuba. He also reminded me that Bourdain attended Vassar for two years until he transferred to the Culinary Institute of […]

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Earlier this month, Cuban actors Anailin de la Rua de la Torre and Javier Nuñez Florian  disappeared in Miami, en route to the first American screening of the film in which they star, Una Noche, at the Tribeca Film Festival. Days after their disappearance, the couple emerged from hiding to confirm, in a televised statement […]

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Every day of our trip to Cuba was packed full of different activities: meetings with musicians, cooperative farmers, college professors and representatives from various governmental organizations and NGOs, not to mention visits to more traditional tourist sites and cities like Cienfuegos, Trinidad and Santa Clara. But in between these meetings and visits, we spent several […]

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Before heading to Cuba, our class studied jinterismo, a term that literally means “horse tamer” or ‘wrangler.” Jinterismo is most equivalent to the english term, “hustling,” specifically in the tourist industry, although it is heavily associated with prostitution. As a result of the economic crisis in Cuba, many Cubans have turned to jinterismo in order […]

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Varadero’s peninsula in northern Cuba is a heavily touristed area that boasts extensive shoreline and beautiful beaches, attracting tourists from all over the globe. The all inclusive resorts that line the beach offer tourists everything they could ever need on their vacation, creating a sort of trap, one which makes tourists and their experience and […]

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In the time before the Spanish-American War, King Sugar ruled the land in Cuba. One of the most famous and important sites for sugar production in Cuba was in the Valley of the Sugar Mills (Valle de los Ingenios) located 12 kilometers outside the beautiful city of Trinidad near the southern coast of central Cuba. […]

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  As I wade through the memories and reactions to our time in Cuba, it already seems so far away, not only geographically but like a long past century. The only way I can feel like I’m back in that place of adventure, confusion, curiosity, and enlightenment is through reading my journal and listening to […]

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On our second to last night in Cuba, Kelsey, Krystal and I wandered out to try to find a good meal. We were getting a late start and wanted to find something quickly; we were starving and food is known to take a very long time in a lot of Cuban restaurants. First we tried […]

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As a child, the stories that my Abuelo and Abuela told be about their youth were never things I looked at as moments from the life of a generation two before my own, but rather moments from the life of Cuban culture, which was then coexisting with my present life in Portland, Oregon. I never […]

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    The national heroes recognized by any nation are quite often figures that are considered an embodiment values or abilities that the nation’s people hold in high regard. And in this respect, Cuba is certainly no exception—the most obvious example are the figures of Che, Camillo Cienfuegos, Jose Martí, and Fidel, all of whom […]

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